There’s more where that came from, please dispose responsibly. Photo: Kyle Shea.

While sitting around the camp fire at Andros South, ice cold Kaliks in hand, we got into an interesting discussion.. How long does monofilament actually take to break down? Not just ‘weaken’ mind you, but actually biodegrade completely? Weeks, months, years?

Many of you have probably heard that fluorocarbon monofilament takes a lot longer to break down than plain ol’ nylon monofilament line does. But how long is that really?

We asked our highly intelligent team of researchers (insert sarcastic tone) to find out for us and we were shocked at what they found – Plain ol’ nylon monofilament fishing line (i.e. leaders, tippet, mono running line, and so on) can take upwards of 600 years to biodegrade completely! In other words, every piece of mono that has ever been dropped in the water is most likely still floating around in the environment, and will be for another 500 plus years. Whoa.

And what about fluorocarbon? Try 4,000 years to biodegrade. That’s a long darn time.

So, the next time you’re changing leaders, replacing tippet, or snipping off a tag end, please be weary of where your scraps end up. After all, they’ll be around long after we are.

Don’t get us wrong, we’re certainly not perfect, and we’d be lying if we said we hadn’t accidentally deposited our share of mono scraps into the waters we love. However, there are a few great products out there these days to help limit the amount of mono scraps that end up in our waters. We’ve listed three of our favorites below, and highly recommend giving them a try to help keep your favorite waters clean.

The Monomaster. A pretty slick way of storing long and short mono scraps while on the water.

Its been a while since we’ve seen anything truly innovative in the world of leader and tippet material. However, the folks at ARC Fishing have come out with some pretty exciting new products that we think might change the way we look at what we’re attaching our fly to.

We think of couple of their products have a lot of potential, and today we’re going to tell you about them.

ARC Fluorocoat Tippet

Ever had trouble deciding whether to use nylon monofilament or fluorocarbon? What if you didn’t have to? ARC’s Fluorocoat Tippet is fluorocarbon coated nylon monofilament. So, in theory you get the best of both worlds. Nylon monofilament is known to have superior knotability compared to the much harder fluorocarbon. On the other hand, because fluorocarbon is a harder material, it is much less prone to ‘chipping’ when it comes in contact with rocks or other jagged objects while fishing. Therefore, the idea is by coating nylon monofilament with fluorocarbon you get a tippet that knots better, but is also more resistant from nicks on rocks or other structure.

Nylon monofilament also absorbs water causing it to weaken by as much as 15 percent, opposed to fluorocarbon which retains its strength when wet. According to ARC, coating the nylon monofilament with fluorocarbon creates a tippet that still retains almost 100 percent of its strength which we think is pretty awesome.

Also, a huge advantage of flurocarbon over standard nylon monofilament is that it has a light refractive index very close to that of water. In other words making it less visible when in water. By coating nylon monofilament in fluorocarbon, you essentially create a tippet that has the same diameter of a similar mono tippet, but is less visible, and that’s a good thing.

We’ve yet to put a full season of testing on the Fluorocoat Tippet (don’t worry, we will), but what we can say is that it certainly knots much better than pure fluorocarbon, seems as strong as any other comparable tippet, and actually seems like the fluorocarbon coating has resulted in less stretch which we really like. As of now, we’re pretty sold on the idea and can’t wait to hit the water with it!

ARC Camo Tippet

It may sound funny, but there are times when ‘clear’ is not the most stealthy option when it comes to tippet. Take sight fishing to weary trout on a bright sunny day. Bright sun can illuminate even a light tippet, causing a trout to spook. We’ve taken a permanent marker to our tippet before in such a situation, but what if you didn’t have to?

Enter ARC’s Camo Tippet. Sure, we’ve all seen colored leader and tippet before, but the Camo Tippet is the first multicolored tippet we’ve seen. It changes colors through a variety of earthy tones along it’s length to reduce light transmission, for ultimate stealthiness.

We think it has its place in certain situations where a high degree of stealth is needed. Think sight fishing dries on a bright sunny day, or nymphing though stained water in high sun.

Details

We look forward to putting ARC’s new tippet series to the test and encourage you to do the same. Each tippet series is available in sizes 0X through 7X and retails for $6.95 per spool of Fluorocoat Tippet and $5.95 per spool of Camo Tippet. For more information, visit ARC Fishing’s website, here.

While fluorocarbon leader and tippet materials are no longer a new discovery in the fishing scene, lots of us are still uncertain of the difference between newer fluorocarbon and traditional nylon monofilament. If you are in this category, before stocking up on tippet spools for the coming season, keep reading and we’ll try to clear up the differences between the two.

First off, don’t be fooled by the substantially higher price tag on fluorocarbon materials when compared to monofilament. Many anglers reach for fluorocarbon under the assumption that because it is more expensive, it is a superior choice of line. While there are many superior qualities of fluorocarbon, both fluorocarbon and monofilament have their place depending on the situation. The higher price of fluorocarbon is as much a result of the manufacturing process as it is the “fishing value.” When comparing leader and tippet materials, there are a few qualities that are of utmost importance – read on.

Visibility

The visibility, or better put, the “invisibility” of fluorocarbon line is most likely the best selling point of fluorocarbon when compared to standard nylon monofilament line. The light refractive index of fluorocarbon is very similar to that of fresh water (much more so than monofilament). In other words, when placed in water, it is less visible than monofilament.

Not convinced? You can see for yourself. Take strands of equal diameter of both fluorocarbon and monofilament and dip them in a glass of water. Notice the difference in transparency of the materials in water.

Strength

When talking about strength, there are several dimensions to consider. In the short term, fluorocarbon is a much harder material than monofilament. This results in higher abrasion resistance that is useful in situations such as nymphing or fishing around heavy structure. Also, most fluorocarbon line is thinner in diameter than monofilament line of the same breaking strength. However, this is not always the case from company to company.

Fluorocarbon is also non-permeable to water and therefore does not absorb water throughout the fishing day. This may not seem like a big deal but most do not realize how much water nylon monofilament actually absorbs throughout the day. Over time, this causes monofilament to weaken.

Over the long term, fluorocarbon is extremely resistant to the elements as well, unlike monofilament. Overtime, U.V. rays, rain and humidity, and extreme temperatures (both hot and cold) can cause monofilament to break down and lose strength. Fluorocarbon is much more resistant to these conditions over the long term. For most of us, these conditions are the norm during a fishing day. This is worth considering before pulling out that dusty tippet spool you bought on sale two years ago.

On that note: due to the fact that fluorocarbon does not break down very readily, please take care when disposing of it. Any pieces clipped off and thrown into the river will be there for a very, very long time.

Density

For you trout fisherman out there, the density of your leader material is actually very important. Fluorocarbon is actually denser than water. In other words, it sinks. This is great when dredging the bottom with nymphs or stripping streamers. However, if dead drifting or skating flies on the surface, this is the last thing you want. Nylon monofilament on the other hand actually suspends in water. If fishing dries, especially in very small sizes, monofilament is a clear winner here.

Stretch

Most anglers are aware that monofilament is a relatively “stretchy” material. Just grab your leader from both ends and pull; you will see it stretch. While a certain degree of stretch is advantageous to help absorb the shock while fighting a fish, less stretch results in higher sensitivity for detecting those subtle takes. Fluorocarbon is said to have less stretch than most nylon monofilaments, however there has been some debate among differing manufacturers.

Knotability

Knotability is often overlooked by anglers when selecting a leader or tippet material, but it is very important. The knot is always the weakest link in your setup and therefore it is important to choose a material that knots well.

Nylon monofilament is far superior here as it is suppler than fluorocarbon. For this reason, nylon monofilament is often the choice when tying big game leaders that require extremely large diameter lines. Due to the stiffness of fluorocarbon, knots do not always seat as easy and must be coaxed into lying just right. Take your time when tying knots into fluorocarbon materials and ensure the knot seats correctly to avoid knot slippage or breakage.

Summary

While fluorocarbon seems to have a great deal of advantages over tradition monofilament, there are certain situations where the extra cost is not necessary. Evaluate what situations best fit you and buy accordingly. Also, it is important to mention that not all materials are created equal. Fluorocarbon or monofilament is often times very different between competing manufacturers.

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Deneki Outdoors operates fishing lodges in Alaska, The Bahamas, British Columbia, and Chile.

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